17 18 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsover [he be] of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, proselytes, or converted gentiles, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the 19 LORD for a burnt offering: [Ye shall offer] at your own will, what and when you please, a male without blemish, of the 20 beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. [But] whatsoever hath

a blemish, [that] shall ye not offer: for it shall not be accept21 able for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish [his] vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be ac22 cepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or brok en, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by 23 fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer [for] a freewill offering; but 24 for a vow it shall not be accepted. Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make [any offering thereof] in your 25 land. Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption [is] in them, they are vicious and unlawful sacrifices, [and] blemishes [be] in them: they shall not be accepted for you. 26 27 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire 28 unto the LORD. And [whether it be] cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

29

And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the 30 LORD, offer [it] at your own will. On the same day it shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I [am] the LORD.

31 Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them : 32 I [am] the LORD. Neither shall ye profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I 33 [am] the LORD which hallow you, That brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I [am] the LORD.

CHAP. XXIII.

Of several feasts, and the day of atonement. Some account has been given of these in various places before, but here they are all related together.

1

2

3

A the children of Israel, and say unto them, [concerning]

ND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto

the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, times to meet together for my worship, [even] these [are] my feasts.*

Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day [is] the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work [therein ] it [is] the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.

4 These [are] the feasts of the LORD, [even] holy convoca5 tions, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. In the fourteenth [day] of the first month at even [is] the LORD's pass

over.

6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month [is] the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must 7 eat unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy 8 convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days in the seventh day [is] an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein.t]

.9 10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf, or handful, of the 11 first fruits of your harvest unto the priest :‡ And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you, that God may accept of you, and bless you in the rest of your harvest on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave 12 it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt 13 offering unto the LORD. And the meat offering thereof [shall be] two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the LORD [for] a sweet savour : and the drink offering thereof [shall be] of wine, the fourth 14 [part] of an hin. And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched

There were many feasts among their neighbours, kept in honour of their gods; therefore these were established. The people came to these feasts, not merely to attend sacrifices, but to do public honour to God; to show reverence for his administration; to promote brotherly love; keep up acquaintance with each other, and to prevent any from running into idolatry.

+ Dressing food and journeying were allowed on other days of rest, but were forbid den on the sabbath.

They were to eat none of their new corn till some part of it had been offered to God.

15

corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave 16 offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD. 17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; [they are] the first fruits of the wheat harvest 18 unto the LORD. And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be [for] a burnt offering unto the LORD, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, [even] an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto 19 the LORD. Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of 20 peace offerings. And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits [for] a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the LORD for the 21 priest. And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, [that] it may be an holy convocation unto you ye shall do no servile work [therein it shall be] a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.†

22

And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I [am] the LORD your God.

23 24 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first [day] of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of 25 blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work [therein;] but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

26 27 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth [day] of this seventh month [there shall be] a day of

Hence called Pentecost, Acts ii. 1. 1 Cor. xvi. 8. or, the Feast of Weeks, Deut. xvi 10. It was about the middle of May.

This feast was only observed one day; probably because it was a busy time, at the beginning of their wheat harvest. It was kept in remembrance of their coming out of Egypt, and the giving of the law at this season. Dedicating their first fruits to God, was a natural acknowledgment of his universal providence; the heathen had such a custom among them. It was wisely appointed, that at this feast the Spirit should be poured out on the apostles, because multitudes of Jews were then at Jerusalem; the days were at the longest; the roads best, and great numbers attended beside the men. The promulgation of the gospel answered to that of the law; and as the first fruits were then presented, so the first fruits of the christian church were then gathered in and presented to God.

This was the first day of their new civil year, and it was introduced with a peculiar solemnity, called the Feast of Trumpets. Ddd

VOL. I.

atonement (ch. xvi. 30. Numb. xxix. 7.) it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls with fasting, and bitter repentance, for all your sins, but especially national sins, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. 28 And ye shall do no work in that same day for it [is] a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD 29 your God. For whatsoever soul [it be] that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his 30 people. And whatsoever soul [it be] that doeth any work in that same day, though it escape the eye and judgment of man, it shall not escape my judgment, for the same soul will I de31 stroy from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: [it shall be] a statute for ever throughout your gener32 ations in all your dwellings. It [shall be] unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth [day] of the month at even, beginning to do it then, and ending on the tenth day at even, v. 27. from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.

33 34 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this sev enth month [shall be] the feast of tabernacles [for] seven 35 days unto the LORD.* On the first day [shall be] an holy 36 convocation: ye shall do no servile work [therein.] Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD; on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it [is] a solemn assembly; [and] ye shall do no servile work [there37 in.t] These [are] the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim [to be] holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering and a meat offering, a sac38 rifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give. 39 unto the LORD. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days on the first day [shall be] a sabbath, and on the eighth day [shall be] a sab40 bath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of

At this feast they were to make booths, or arbours; in remembrance of God's protection of them in the wilderness, when they dwelt in booths or tabernacles, v. 43. and to show their thankfulness for the fruits now reaped, Deut. xvi. 13, 14.

On this day they removed out of the booths into their houses again, and so it denoted their settlement in the land of Canaan, after their forty years abode in the wil derness. In the latter years of the Jewish state there were some circumstances added, which were not of divine institution; particularly, a custom of pouring water, drawn from the pool of Siloam, on the altar; some say, as an acknowledgment of God's goodness in giving them rain; others say, of their drinking water in the wilderness: but rather, In token of their desire and expectation of the effusion or pouring out of the Spirit in the days of the Messiah. On that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. John vil. 37.

Not corn, which was gathered long before, but of vines, olives, &c, hence calles the Feast of Ingathering, Exod. xxiii, 16,

goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days, in remembrance of former deliverances, (v. 43.) for your present blessings, (Deut. xvi. 15.) 41 and in expectation of future good things. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. [It shall be] a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it 42 in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days ;* 43 all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of 44 Egypt: I [am] the LORD your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

"FR

REFLECTIONS.

ROM hence we learn, that it is our duty to devote a considerable part of our time to God's service; he is the author of our life, and of all our comforts; and therefore should be served with the best. Let us not grudge him that time which should be appropriated to his worship; but redeem some part of every day for religious purposes. We are under peculiar obligations to keep the sabbath holy, because no other time is made sacred under the gospel. The Jews observed it from evening till evening, that is, the whole day; and it is reasonable that we should devote the whole of it to God. Let us remember, as it is observed, v. 30. that whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people. God observes if we do any unnecessary work, and, though it may not be taken notice of by human laws, he will call us to an account for it. Ye shall keep the sabbath in all your dwellings; not only in God's house, but also in your own. This is a most important law; public ordinances do little good, without the fear and worship of the Lord in our own dwellings.

2. Let us commemorate the greater and more important mercies which God hath granted to us. The Israelites had deliverance from Egypt, but we have deliverance from sin and Satan. They had the passover, but Christ, our passover, is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. They had their pentecost; let us remember the effusion of the Spirit. They had their feast of tabernacles; let us acknowledge the goodness of God to us, while passing through this world; in feeding and clothing us, guiding us by his providence, and giving us views of the heavenly Canaan. They had their day of atonement; let us remember the great

These in Jerusalem were made on the tops of houses, in court yards, in gardens, is the streets, &c.